But Reinwood Infant and Junior School in Oakes have made sure its staff and pupils - some as young as five - are well-rehearsed to react to an attack on the school, even if the likelihood is they’ll never have to use it.

The school is among several in Kirklees and Calderdale to run practice drills for instances where an armed intruder or another similar danger poses a threat.

Twice a year, an alarm sounds declaring ‘this school is in lockdown’, and classmates calmly hide under the tables as teachers secure the doors, barricade entrances and make themselves safe.

Year Six teacher Ian Darlington said: “We’ve been doing these drills for about a year now. The children understand it’s so they feel as safe as possible.

Reinwood Junior School, Huddersfield.

“Obviously for some of the younger ones it might feel a bit scary, but the more you practice it the less scary it is. We tell the pupils that we will probably never have to use it, but that it’s good to know how to react just in case.

“The feedback has been very positive - obviously parents want their children to be as safe as possible even if that means having to carry out these drills.”

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More than 200 schools in West Yorkshire have attended seminars about what to do in the event of a lockdown should there be an incident of violence or potential threat near the school.

The seminars are run jointly by the police, fire service and North East Counter Terror Unit, and provide advice on managing instances of a nearby threat such as crime, terror or even a potentially dangerous animal on or around the school premises.

Reinwood School pupils hide under a table during a security drill (Image: BBC)

One school which experienced a real life lockdown was Moldgreen Community Primary School.

Pupils were held inside following reports of a man with a machete outside the school in May this year, with staff praised for their calm response.

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One mum said: “Children [were] reassured and kept in their classrooms until the police confirmed that individuals were safe to leave the building.” A man was detained under the Mental Health Act following the incident.

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